Cape Town - A man accused of raping a nine-year-old girl and then setting her alight appeared in the Bellville District Court, Cape Town, on Thursday.
Magistrate Cyril Krautz postponed the matter to June 10 for a formal bail application.
The man, 27, who may not be named until he pleads to the charges, previously abandoned a bail application.
He was arrested on January 19, and has since appeared in court four times. Initially, he faced charges of abduction, sexual assault, rape, and attempted murder.
Because the victim died in hospital from her burns on March 18, the attempted murder charge was changed to murder.
The man was being held at the Goodwood Prison. He previously complained of being assaulted. For his safety, the court ordered that he be kept in solitary confinement and under medical observation.
Sapa